Lot 209. A Yixing slip-decorated hexagonal teapot and cover, Qing dynasty; 8.3cm (3 1/2in) wide. Estimate HK$60,000 - 100,000. Sold for HK$ 75,000 (€ 8,961). Photo Bonhams.

The flattened cover surmounted by a six-sided knop flanked, by a 'C'-shaped handle and a pointed spout at the sides, slip-painted with a landscape scene of dwellings above mountain peaks, a pavilion beneath a willow tree and a traveller rowing a sampan, accompanied by a series of kaishu inscription and decorated with keyfret and floral scrolls at the shoulders and rims, the base with a three-character zhuanshu seal mark, and another two-character zhuanshu seal mark towards the underside of the cover. 

Note: The seal mark carved at the underside of the cover reads 'zhi ting', a style name used by Zhao Songting who was an Yixing potter active during the Guangxu period. The seal mark at the base reads 'shi li ge', which was the studio name used by the the late Qing dynasty scholar Tong Fei (1865-1932) when he commissioned Yixing teapots from famous potters. Tong was appointed the director of the Jiangsu Provincial School of Yixing Stoneware in 1916.

Bonham's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Hong Kong, 24 November 2013